HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, Hyderabad, has directed a leading private hospital in Secunderabad to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation and Rs 25,000 towards litigation costs for overcharging a patient during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The commission also warned that failure to comply within 45 days would attract an additional Rs 50,000 penalty.
The case was filed by a 68-year-old businessman whose wife was admitted twice in 2021 first for Covid-19 treatment and later for cardiac thoracic surgery, during which she passed away.
He alleged that the hospital overcharged for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, risk allowances, and other services, violating government-capped rates for Covid treatment.
According to the order, the hospital billed separately for PPE components, sanitisation, and staff risk allowances already covered under the government-notified package. The commission found these charges in violation of official orders and categorised them as an “unfair trade practice.”
Government Orders issued between June 2020 and June 2021 capped costs for PPE kits, swab tests, and ICU services. However, the hospital billed Rs 10,000 for swab tests and over Rs 80,000 under “risk allowance” and “incentive charges.”
While the commission found no medical negligence, it observed that the hospital had “taken advantage of the patient’s vulnerable condition using Covid-19 as an excuse to levy inflated charges.”